Daly Focus Blog
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Sharing the Gospel Through Hospitality,” we’re sharing Dr. Rosaria Butterfield’s dramatic conversion testimony.
Rosaria was professor of English and queer theory at Syracuse University in New York and lived proudly as a lesbian, a feminist, and an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights. In 1999, she took leave from her professorship to research a book she intended to write as a rebuke of religion from a lesbian feminist point of view.
I’ve had to overcome a lot. My mom died when I was nine. My stepdad abandoned me and my siblings within hours of her funeral. After that, I spent time in foster care, and a couple of years later, my biological father died of alcoholism.
No doubt you’ve survived some difficulties of your own. Struggle is universal. So are the solutions for overcoming it. Here are four ways to break free from your past:
Accept the fact that your suffering cannot be changed.
Years ago, John, a recent college graduate, asked Dr. Gary Chapman and his wife if he could move into their home for one year and observe their family. John’s family of origin had been toxic, and he wanted to experience firsthand what a healthy marriage and family looked like.
Dr. Chapman’s first reaction was to say no. Was their family healthy? He and Karolyn’s first years of marriage had been characterized by selfishness, hurt, and brokenness.
Today, Peter Mutabazi is an entrepreneur, an international advocate for children, and the founder of Now I Am Known, a corporation that supplies resources that encourage and affirm children.
Peter’s passion for advocacy began in a small village in Uganda on the border of Rwanda. His father was abusive, beat the family, and frequently told Peter that he regretted having him as a son. Peter didn’t even have a name until he was two years old!
The secret to success isn’t avoiding failure. It’s learning from your mistakes and continuing to move forward.
The television series Alone is a survival competition where participants survive alone in the wilderness for as long as possible. Contestants are given minimal equipment and must build their own shelters, start their own fires, and find their own food. The physical demands are brutal.
One of the contestants, Colter Barnes, lost 86 pounds over 67 days in the wild and had to be medically evacuated.
There is a staggering crisis among American men, and it demands immediate national attention. That is the focus of an important new report recently released by Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
The report, “The State of the Working (And Non-Working) Man,” explains that the number of American men out of work today is greater than it was in the wake of Great Depression. And what makes this crisis even worse, is that their idleness is largely voluntary.
Why did you get married?
For your spouse?
Or for yourself?
Be honest. You got married because the relationship made you happy.
Don’t feel too guilty. The rest of us probably did the same thing. We thought life with this person would make our lives better. And while that’s not entirely selfish – God wants us to enjoy our marriage to our spouse, after all – many couples spend their first years of marriage chasing individual interests.
I’m reminded of a story about a hunter who owned an unusual bird dog. While other dogs barked, pointed, and fetched birds, this one walked on water. The hunter was so excited to show off his dog’s remarkable ability that he invited his friend on a hunting trip. Each time they shot a duck, the dog ran across the top of the water and fetched the bird.
For hours, the two men hunted. Yet, the friend never commented about the dog’s unusual ability.
“Beginning in 2017, pro-life supporters found a strong advocate in President Trump. As promised, his key appointments to both the United States Supreme Court, federal courts and other agencies helped bring to fruition the fall of Roe, a wicked and evil 1973 decision that contributed to the death of over 60 million innocent children.
“The reversal of Roe and the Dobbs decision made clear the United States Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, and that states are permitted to restrict it.
Gender identity is a pervasive topic these days. The culture is locked in debate about everything from access to restrooms to competition in women’s athletics to the ethics and morality of certain courses of treatment for children dealing with gender dysphoria.
For Christians, this isn’t a political matter, a psychological orientation, or even a social question. It’s a spiritual battle. The Bible is clear that God created humanity as male and female, biological certainties that are not dependent on how a person feels or “identifies.” However, we battle an enemy who sows seeds of confusion that corrupt our understanding of God’s beautiful design.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
